DTH beats cable in Brazil

According to the latest data from Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency, the nation’s DTH subscriber base topped 5.24 million, thus beating cable-connected homes into second place. Cable TV closed the month with 5.12 million users.

In April, a net 238,000 new pay-TV clients were added; whereas in the first four months of the year, 888,000 new users were recorded. Since January 2011, DTH increased its subscriber base with 769,000 new users, against the 145,000 clients recorded by cable. Therefore, DTH recorded a 49.2 per cent market share while cable recorded a 48.1 per cent.

In April, satellite TV recorded a 4.4 per cent growth rate. In turn, the number of subscribers recorded by cable grew only by 0.5 per cent, a lower rate than that recorded in March, which stood at 0.8 per cent. MMDS operators lost 2.5 per cent of their client base.

The trend now seems clear. In December 2010, DTH accounted for the 45.8 per cent of the Brazilian market, and cable services recorded the 51 per cent market share.